Mercy Housing Plans Affordable Apartments For Fell And Laguna's 'Parcel O'

Mercy Housing Plans Affordable Apartments For Fell And Laguna's 'Parcel O'

Photo: Google

Nuala Sawyer
Published on March 06, 2015

Condo and apartment construction is running rampant in Hayes Valley, with more than six large buildings being constructed along Octavia, Grove and Van Ness streets. Now, a Preliminary Planning Assessment (PPA) application has been filed for yet more apartments, but these will differ from the neighborhood's luxury-driven counterparts.

Mercy House is now working to secure the final northern section of Parcel O, on the southeast corner of Fell and Laguna, for a new affordable housing building. Parcel O and Parcel P, which is now the site of the new Avalon apartment building and its sky-high rents, were once occupied by the Hayes Valley Farm, which vacated back in May of 2013.

Mercy manages a wide range of housing around the city, focusing particularly on seniors, those with special needs, and low-income families. We've covered many of its projects before, such as its building for developmentally disabled individuals on Masonic and Page, as well as its grand senior housing facility in the Southern Pacific Hospital on Baker and Fell. 

According to Socketsite, Mercy plans to install two buildings of residential and community space above 2,000 square feet of retail on the southeast corner of Fell and Laguna. The proposed building would be 50 feet tall, with an interior courtyard and vegetable garden. Parking will not be included in this building, though there will be a space for storing bicycles.  

Barbara Gualco, Mercy Housing's Regional Director of Real Estate Development in San Francisco, told us that this new building will focus on providing homes for low-income and homeless families. The project is being worked on in collaboration with San Francisco Housing Development Corporation (SFHDC), which has built over 400 affordable homes in San Francisco. 

The project is still in the PPA phase, which means that it's a long way out from becoming a reality. However, if everything goes as planned, construction could begin in September of 2016.